


I Hate Everyone But You

by BumbleBeeBetty



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babysitter Steve Harrington, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Flirting, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:55:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26147518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BumbleBeeBetty/pseuds/BumbleBeeBetty
Summary: Coming off the wild ride that was his senior year, having joined Hawkin’s very own group of super freaks and went toe to toe with other dimensional hell beasts, the last thing Steve expected to be doing with his summer was working at Scoops Ahoy in the Starcourt mall. It’s lame, it’s embarrassing, and most of all, it gives him plenty of time to think about where his life is going wrong. To go from killing monsters to handing out ice cream cones is a big downgrade, but to realize that you might be doing it for the rest of your life- it’s enough to make someone go insane.With all the pressures of work, his family, and his failing love life, the last thing Steve needs is more stress. And just like that, Billy Hargrove walks into Scoops Ahoy one afternoon and things turn even more upside down.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	I Hate Everyone But You

Steve Harrington wasn’t a natural born fighter. It wasn’t something he was blessed with at birth. Not like his good looks or his wealth or his perch atop the social hierarchy that he accepted oh so willingly. 

No, being a fighter was a quality he had acquired all on his own.

Something he had found; Discovered the night he drove a nail ridden baseball bat into the stomach of the beast that had invaded the Byer’s home. Something that had strengthened that day in those horrible tunnels when he threw down his lighter and burned those vines to ash. Something that had settled, hard and cold, in his core when he watched Billy Hargrove crumple lifelessly to the tile floor of the Starcourt Mall. 

He was a fighter now, through and through, and most days, that’s the only thing that kept him going. 

Life since the Battle of Starcourt had been utter hell. 

They had all lost something that night; pieces of themselves, peace of mind. From the moment those fireworks shrieked across the sky on Fourth of July, nothing had been the same. 

Steve could still see the expression on the kids’ faces as Mrs. Byers told them what had happened to Hopper. He could still see Eleven crumbled on the ground in her arms, tears glistening on her cheeks in the bright red and blue glow of the police cars. 

He could still feel the palpable grief in the air as Mike Wheeler wrapped his arms around her, as Max, Will, Dustin, and finally Lucus followed. He could still feel the sob crackling and burning in his throat as Robin grabbed him and pulled him close. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” she had told him and although she sounded so sure, he knew it wasn’t true. He knew it would never be okay. 

Because while the kids cried for the lost police sheriff, Steve was crying for someone else. Someone who had died protecting them, who deserved both everything and nothing that he got. Someone who he had hated to love and loved to hate. 

He cried because he couldn’t get the sound of Billy’s screams, the image of his body hitting the floor, out of his head. He cried because it felt like a hole had been torn through his chest, like his body was on fire and burning from the inside out. 

Steve cried for Billy Hargrove because he was afraid no one else would.

* * *

It had all started one extremely hot day in June. 

Steve had only been working at Scoops Ahoy two weeks and in that time, he had already begun to realize what a horrible decision putting in that job application was. The pay was decent as far as summer jobs were concerned and putting ice cream on a cone didn’t require much skill, but those advantages had come at a price; his pride. 

Having to strut around daily in that stupid uniform, being chipper and lively to every customer that came in, was literally soul sucking. And it didn’t help that Robin was there, too, constantly giving him flak for every girl he struck out with. 

“It’s the uniform,” he assured her every time he got dissed. “It’s this stupid hat and this dumb apron and the whole nautical theme. Nobody could pull this off.” 

But deep down, no matter how many times he said it, Steve knew that wasn’t true. He was the real problem, not the uniform or Scoops Ahoy. It was all him. 

Somewhere after his break up with Nancy, he had lost his mojo and it only took him working at that dumb ice cream parlor to realize it. Initially, he’d believed that working at Scoop Ahoy was going to be a blast. The place was so uncool and absolutely lame that he’d seem astronomically cooler by comparison, but that wasn’t the case. If anything, he fit in just fine at Scoop Ahoy because he was lame, too.

That epiphany had been like a punch to the gut and now that he knew, he couldn’t get past it. 

Every time he tried to go back to his roots and drudge up his ‘King Steve’ act for high school, it just came across as depressing and desperate. Girls were avoiding him like the plague. People he knew from high school were laughing at him. Even Dustin’s little friends had to get in their quick jabs as they went about their day. 

By week two, Steve had convinced himself that things couldn’t get any worse, but then, Billy Hargrove came in and did the impossible. 

Robin and Steve had been sitting in the front of the store, the former sitting on the counter and the latter at the register, discussing some movie playing at the mall theater when he arrived. 

“You such a wimp, Steve,” Robin had mocked as he leaned forward against the counter. “What kind of man is afraid of a little blood?” 

Steve rolled his eyes. “I’m not afraid of blood,” he scoffed. “I just don’t like the sight of it. There’s a difference.” 

“There isn’t a difference.” 

“Yes, there is!” 

“No, there isn’t,” she replied, now a little more heated. “Admit it, Steve. You’re not man enough to handle a little blood. Slashers make you sick. Poor little Stevie. Poor, poor little Ste-” 

The words died on her lips. Steve glanced at her. A strange expression had settled over her face. 

Suddenly, Robin jumped down from the counter and leaned over the ice cream freezer. Before Steve even had time to ask, she’d grabbed one of their nearly empty tubs- double fudge cookie dough, one of the store’s best sellers- and turned to face him. 

He was surprised at how serious she had become. 

“Idiot at twelve o’clock,” she muttered and held up the tub of ice cream. “I’m gonna go refill this. You deal with him.” 

And with that, she was gone, disappearing into the back room and leaving a seriously confused Steve to man the front. 

_ Who the hell is she talking abo-  _

The thought came to a grinding halt as Steve turned towards the entrance and found none other than Billy Hargrove staring back at him beneath a pair of dark sunglasses, a cute girl clutching to his arm. Their eyes locked across the lobby. 

Steve’s blood immediately ran cold and in that moment, he was painfully aware of his short shorts and his girly apron and especially, his stupid little hat. Swallowing hard, he knew he was about to be torn apart. 

He watched tensely as Billy sauntered up to the counter. His hands were stuffed deep into his jean pockets and his shirt was unbuttoned to reveal his tan chest.  He stopped in front of the register and slowly raised his sunglasses, pushing them up into his curly mass of blonde hair. 

“Sup, Harrington. Didn’t expect to see you here,” Billy said, a wild, spiteful grin crossing his lips. “Cute hat.” 

“Bite me.” Steve spat back. 

The boy cocked his head to the side, still grinning, and ran his tongue over his teeth. The sight of it made Steve want to puke. 

“Maybe later.” The girl at Billy’s side giggled. Steve glanced at her. 

She was pretty. That was the first thing he noticed. Very,  _ very _ pretty. Long dark hair, big brown eyes, cute freckles across her nose and cheeks. She looked like the type of girl Steve would have gone after. The type of girl you would expect to be with someone else; someone  _ better _ . Not Billy. 

Who in their right mind would freely choose to spend time with him? 

“Are you going to order something, Hargrove, or are you just gonna stand there all day?” Steve said sourly, leaning forward against the counter. 

Billy cocked an eyebrow. “Wonderful customer service in this place, am I right?” 

As if on cue, the girl beside him nodded vigorously, looked back at Steve, and rolled her eyes. It was like a trained dog that had been given a command. Billy grinned wider in response. 

“Well,” he smirked. “Let’s not waste  _ King Steve’s _ precious time. I’m sure he has plenty of work to do. What do you want, babe?” 

_ What do you want, babe?  _ Steve wrinkled his nose. Just hearing those words made him feel dirty. Disgusting. He fought the urge to lean down behind the counter and throw up right there as he listened to her order. 

“Butterscotch. Two scoops, please,” She said and Steve nodded, opening up the ice cream freezer by the handle. As much as wanted to tell them both to screw off, he was still on the clock and they were still paying customers. 

He gritted his teeth as he dug deep into the nearly empty tub to make her cone, leaning over with his whole arm in the freezer. He could hear Billy snort as he straightened himself and handed the ice cream over the counter. 

“And for you?” He asked curtly, refusing to meet the other boy’s eyes. 

“I’ll have the same.” Billy’s response was almost instantaneous and Steve knew that it wasn’t based on taste. He just wanted to embarrass him even more, like rubbing salt to a wound. 

Begrudgingly, he once again leaned over into the freezer and made another cone. This time, they both were both chuckling when he straightened again. He handed Billy his ice cream without saying a word and immediately began ringing the two of them up, wanting nothing more than both of them gone. 

“That’ll be three dollars and forty-two cents,” he said, watching as Billy handed his ice cream to his girl and took out his wallet. There was a moment of pause as he shot a cheeky glance at Steve. 

“What do you think?” He asked, shifting his gaze to the girl beside him. “Does he deserve a tip? Has he been a good little sailor?” 

Steve’s face absolutely burned as the girl giggled. 

“Just pay the damn bill and get the hell out of here, Hargrove,” he bit out, trying his best to sound serious and angry. Instead, he just came off a little desperate. Billy shook his head and smirked. 

“Aye, aye, Captain,” he mocked, finally retching a wad of bills from his wallet and throwing them onto the counter. Steve’s blood boiled as he gave a quick wink, ran his tongue over his teeth again, and stuck his hands back into his pocket. 

“Keep the change,” he chuckled and before Steve could even speak, he strutted his way right back out of Scoops Ahoy, disappearing into the crowd of mall goers with his girl. 

Steve sighed and grabbed the wad of money from the counter, absentmindedly straightening out each bill. 

_ Keep the change _ . Steve frowned darkly. 

God, he hated him. He hated him with every single fiber of his being. No one had ever gotten under his skin like this. No one. Not even Jonathan Byers when Steve had realized Nancy might have a thing for him. 

Of course, Jonathan had turned out to be a good guy in the end. A great guy, actually, but the same couldn’t be said about Billy. 

Billy was an asshole, plain and simple. He just did whatever he wanted. Said whatever he wanted. He acted like he owned the place; like this was his world and everyone else was just living in it. Like everyone owed him something. 

If only Steve had been strong enough to put him in his place when they were still in high school, maybe this wouldn't have been happening. Maybe he could have knocked him down a peg. He could have- 

Steve suddenly paused and glanced down at the bills in his hand. Slowly, he counted them again. 

Two ones and a five. He wasn’t a math genius, not by any means, but it didn’t take him more than a few seconds to realize that was nearly a four dollar tip. A four dollar tip from Billy Hargrove.

Steve stood there absolutely dumbfounded. 

“Well,” Robin said as she sat a fresh tub of frozen ice cream on the counter. Steve literally jumped, too caught up in his small fortune to notice that she had returned from the freeze. “Look who's still in one piece. Let me guess, Hargrove’s still just as much of an idiot, isn’t he?” 

“Yeah. Of course, but,” Steve said, turning towards her with a wide smile and holding up the wad of cash. “In this case, that’s a good thing. I got a four dollar tip because the jackass either doesn’t pay attention or doesn’t know how to count.” 


End file.
